Do you work with someone who seems to put that extra effort into their work? Someone who treats their co-workers and each and every customer with care and respect? What about someone who encourages others to do good work? If you do, then we are offering you the opportunity to honor them with the 2012 Most Valuable Carwasher (MVC) award. For the past 21 years, Professional Carwashing & Detailing has asked its readers to submit nominations for the award which recognizes the top on-site workers, service technicians, detailers or office managers from any car care industry segment.
How to submit
Those who wish to submit nominations can email me directly at [email protected]. Please put the word “nomination” in the subject line. Nominations will be accepted until May 21. Please include the name of the nominee, his or her specific job responsibility, and the name and location of the business. Using less than 500 words, go into detail about why this person deserves the award. What do they do that’s beyond their job description? The winner will be announced and featured in the July 2012 issue of Professional Carwashing & Detailing magazine, as well as on our website. He or she will also be awarded at the Western Carwash Association Convention & Tradeshow being held September 18-20, 2012, in San Diego.
The 2011 recipient
The 2011 Most Valuable Carwasher was Chad Cornell of Crystal Clean Automotive Detailing in Grand Rapids, MI. He was nominated by his co-worker Kevin Gavigan. Cornell stood out in that he’s always willing to take on any task, whether or not it’s part of his job description. He also works hard behind the scenes to make sure the business runs smoothly and does this because he genuinely wants the business to succeed as a whole. And, also he juggles a lot of responsibilities — often all at once — and yet, other employees feel that they can still go to him with questions or concerns. According to Gavigan’s nomination form, “Chad’s commitment to Crystal Clean is evident as he begins his workday at 3 a.m., five days a week, to ensure that the workload gets moving in the proper direction every day. …The time and effort he puts into each and every workday is astounding as he even takes on tasks that are not under his realm of responsibility to ensure that everything is done properly, on time, and up to our quality standards.” Cornell said upon hearing of the award, that he was honored, but also accepted the accolade with a lot of modesty. “To be honest,” he said, “sometimes I don’t handle all of the responsibilities well every time. The people that work in this industry know that a lot of the time this business is organized chaos, with multiple deadlines, special requests, and let’s not forget that we all work on an item that is different every time. And, sometimes I am just flying by the seat of my pants making quick decisions.” But, in line with his nomination form, he went on to credit his staff with helping him to get through it. “It is a lot of teamwork, no one person alone could make this flow everyday, it is and always will be a team effort here,” said Cornell. “Without each and every one of them I would not be in this position.” Cornell said to be successful, you have to lead from the front. “I am willing to work any position in the shop, I will clean the bathrooms if it needs to be done; I am the boss by title only, I never ask my guys to do anything I am not willing or able to do myself, and no one will work a longer shift than me. If I ask them to work an 11-hour day, I will work 12.”
Will your nominee be on this list?
Past winners of the award:
1991: Norris Brown, Weiss Guys Car Wash, Phoenix
1992: Gary L. Daily, Happy Wheels, Inc., Wilmington, DE
1993: Mark Ellis, Soft Touch Express Wash, Valparaiso, IN
1994: G. Walker “Paul” Calisme, Exit 13 Car Wash, Darien, CT
1995: Jose Ruiz, Auto Valet Car Wash, Trenton, NJ
1996: Michael Garrison, Beaverton Car Wash, Beaverton, OR, and Marjorie E. McNeil, Clarkston Auto Wash Co., Clarkson, MI
1997: Chalmers “Lefty” Jackson, Jax Kar Wash, Inc., Southfield, MI
1998: Clifford Mitchell, Bebo’s Car Wash, Mobile, AL
1999: Marcel Vargas, Splash Car Wash, Norwalk, CT
2000: Darold Evans, Sandwich Car Wash, Sandwich, MA
2001: Roman Zelek, Koziol Car Wash, Chicago
2002: Casey Bowmaster, Champion Car Wash, Trevose, PA
2003: Gary Pendleton, Wilshire West Car Wash, Santa Monica, CA
2004: Bob Handt, Mister Car Wash, Roseville, MN
2005: Brian Daigle, Willimantic Car Wash, Willimantic, CT
2006: Juan Avila, Splash Car Wash, Wilton, CT
2007: Aaron Rusbuldt, Shur-Kleen Car Wash, Lacey, WA
2008: Shawn Stevens, Adirondack Car Wash, Queensbury, NY
2009: Trudy Carlton, Car Pool, LLC, Mechanicsville, VA
2010: Sandra Silvestre, Valencia AutoSpa, Valencia, CA
2011: Chad Cornell, Crystal Clean Automotive Detailing in Grand Rapids, MI
